Ahmedabad: About two years ago, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) decided to include photographs of couples in marriage certificates following numerous requests from citizens. However, despite the promise made during a standing committee meeting in February 2023, the civic body has yet to fulfil this commitment.
The AMC standing committee had pledged to ask the state government to update its marriage registration software, OLAKH 1.0, to allow for the inclusion of photographs. While this request was made, there have been no updates to the software, and marriage certificates continue to be issued without photos.
This has caused issues for applicants who need to travel abroad or apply for foreign visas, as the marriage certificate is often required for verification purposes. Many individuals, particularly women, also face difficulties when updating their documents, such as Aadhaar cards, to reflect their husband's name post-marriage. The absence of photos on marriage certificates complicates these processes.
An AMC official explained that the birth and death registration department is responsible for issuing marriage certificates, which are processed through the state government's OLAKH 1.0 software. Currently, the certificates include only the names, addresses, and date of marriage, but no photographs of the couple.
Although discussions were held in the standing committee about issuing marriage certificates with photos, the responsibility ultimately lies with the state government. The official also mentioned that the state is preparing to implement a new version of the software, OLAKH 2.0, which is expected to include photographs of couples on marriage certificates once it is rolled out.
